Download Fieldwork in cultural Anthropology: Methods and Ethics

ETHNOGRAPHIC METHODS
LEARNING OBJECTIVES
1. Identify major ethnographic techniques & what type of
information is gained from each technique.
2. Describe ethnographic techniques by identifying specific
anthropological examples.
3. Summarize the methods used by anthropologists to study
human populations.
4. Identify the anthropological sub-discipline that most
commonly employs ethnographic methods.
OUTLINE OF LECTURE
•Review of Scientific
Method
•Ethnography
• Techniques
• Survey Research
•Ethical Issues
SCIENTIFIC METHOD
Four basic steps:
 Ask a question
 what this question be based off of?
 Formulate a hypothesis
 Test the hypothesis
 Come to a conclusion – accept or reject the hypothesis
 Accept hypothesis = theory
FIELDWORK
The collection of data ___
________________________
_____________________
Ethnographic process fieldwork
TYPES OF FIELDWORK
Single-Sited Fieldwork
Multi-sited Fieldwork
•__________________
•______________________
____________________
•Movement between _____
•Tracing a _____________
____________________________________
EL BARRIO
ANTHROPOLOGIST:
PHILIPPE BOURGOIS
•Award-winning ethno-graphic account of
selling crack in El Barrio
•Spanish Harlem – 1995:
•Single-sited: ___________________
•Multi-sited: ______________________
________________________________
PARTICIPANT OBSERVATION
_________________________
_________________________
________________________
PARTICIPANT OBSERVATION
•Best way to ___________________________
•____________________________
•Allows for mental, emotional and physical contact
with the individuals
PARTICIPANT OBSERVATION
Benefits
1.
2.
The Hawthorne effect:
1.
OBSERVATION
Look at everything:
•Housing, interactions,
leaders, work, organization,
activities…
•Holism
•Obtain data – how is this
done?
INTERVIEWS
Interviews
1.
2.
What information can be
gained from these types
of interviews?
DIALECTIC OF FIELDWORK
•Process of building a
bridge of
understanding
•Between
anthropologist &
informants
•Why is this important
for successful
fieldwork?
•Example: Komachi,
nomadic people in Iran
•__________________
And
•__________________
DIFFERENT TYPES OF DATA
Qualitative
Quantitative
•1.
•1.
•2.
•2.
RISKS ASSOCIATED WITH FIELDWORK
Social violence
Disease
Culture shock
_________________________________
_________________________________
Unlikable subjects
ETHICS AND RESPONSIBILITY IN
CULTURAL ANTHROPOLOGY
Why did it come about?
Dangers for the subjects
AAA standard code of ethics
 ________________________
 ____________________